Never Too Late

by Julie Blair

  *

  Jamie looked up at the tall buildings surrounding them and found the bank the front desk clerk had directed her to. “I need some more cash. Scalpers won’t take a credit card.”

  “Scalpers?”

  “Yeah. They sell tickets to people like us who show up at the last minute.” Jamie pocketed ten twenty-dollar bills and fingered the piece of paper the flight attendant had given her with the name of the lesbian bar. What would it feel like to dance with Carly?

  “Wait here while I get us tickets,” Jamie said when they got to the arena. “Then we’ll eat.”

  “I want to go with you.”

  Jamie headed them toward a black guy wearing tight jeans and a Braves cap. “Got some good seats for a visiting A’s fan?” Jamie flashed the guy her best smile. Carly stood next to her, arms folded.

  “Wow, I should give you tickets, seeing’s how you’re stuck in the land of the losers,” the guy teased her back.

  “Okay. I can live with that.”

  “What’s a California girl doing all the way out here?”

  “Enjoying Southern hospitality,” Jamie said in her best imitation of the Southern drawls she’d been absorbing. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Carly smile. She sure was cute.

  “Are you really an A’s fan?”

  “Been going to the games since I was five. Even won a contest to be bat girl for a day.”

  “Okay, I believe you. So, how close you wanna be?”

  “Close enough to see her eyelashes.” Jamie glanced at Carly, whose eyes widened.

  The guy reached into a small pack fastened around his waist and leafed through some tickets. “How about three rows back on the left?”

  “How much?”

  “For you, two large,” the guy said with a wink. “Seeing’s how we’re cousins and all that.”

  “Ouch,” Jamie said, holding her fist over her heart. “That doesn’t leave me anything to take my girl out to dinner.” Jamie pulled Carly close with an arm around her waist.

  “Okay, okay. How about one fifty, and I tell you where you can get a hundred-dollar meal for fifty?” The guy grinned at them. “Gotta love you out-and-proud girls from the West Coast.”

  “Deal.” Jamie folded the tickets into her pocket.

  “Jamie, that’s a lot of money.” Carly gripped her forearm.

  “Concert and dinner are my treat, Carly.” Jamie headed them in the direction the guy had pointed.

  “Why did he call you cousin?” Carly’s shoulder brushed against hers as they walked.

  “He’s gay. He was acknowledging he knows I am, too.”

  “Oh. How did you know he was…gay?” Carly whispered the last word.

  “You just kind of know. We call it gaydar.” Jamie duplicated Carly’s whisper.

  “Gaydar,” Carly repeated, not whispering this time. “Can I ask you something else?”

  “Sure.” Jamie stopped in front of a diner and opened the door for Carly. The place was full, which Jamie took as a good sign.

  “What did he mean by out-and-proud girls from the West Coast?”

  Jamie caught a whiff of the perfume she really liked as Carly stepped past her. So far Carly was being a good sport. Was there a chance they’d share a bed tonight? “He was referring to the fact that gay people are a lot more publicly visible in California than in most of the country.”

  Carly frowned, appearing to think about it. “What’s the opposite of out and proud?”

  “In the closet.”

  “Out and proud seems a lot better than in the closet,” Carly said decisively in her unhurried accent, the sincerity showing in her amber eyes.

  “No argument there.” A waitress motioned them to a booth, and Jamie resisted the urge to sit next to Carly.

  “What does your T-shirt mean?” Carly asked as they walked out of the restaurant. The heat and humidity hit them immediately.

  “I just spent the weekend at a music festival for lesbians.”

  “I didn’t know there were festivals for…um, lesbians.”

  “We’re everywhere,” Jamie whispered. Carly blushed but didn’t move away as they passed a couple with three little kids in tow.

  When they got to the arena, Jamie pulled Carly off to the side. “Have you ever been to a rock concert?”

  “No.” Carly looked scared as she eyed the crowd, and Jamie hoped she wasn’t going to change her mind. “But I love rock music.”

  “Great.” Carly’s eyes settled on Jamie. God, they were beautiful. “Any concerts?”

  “A few Christian concerts.”

  “You mean like Amy Grant?”

  “Yeah!”

  “She’s got a great voice.” Carly’s smile was radiant, and Jamie wanted to kiss along her bottom lip. “This will be rowdier. If you get uncomfortable, tell me. I want this to be fun for you.”

  “Let’s do this.”

  Jamie took Carly’s hand and led them into the crowd moving toward the entrance. When Carly didn’t pull away, Jamie’s hopes rose. She was a lot more adventurous than Jamie had expected. Maybe they’d use only one of those beds tonight.

  *

  Jamie draped her arm across Carly’s shoulder as they shuffled along in the crowd exiting the arena. She’d gotten bolder about touching Carly during the concert, and so far Carly hadn’t objected. The more she touched her the more she wanted to. Carly’s softness and curves made her decide she’d have to revamp her ideas about what kind of women made her hot. “Didn’t I tell you she was the hottest woman rocker around?” Jamie looked back at the marquee. She was going to remember this night for a long time.

  “That was the most exciting thing I’ve ever done,” Carly said.

  “Whew, does it ever cool off around here?” Jamie asked when they were finally standing in the open air. Her nipples tingled as the breeze cooled her sweat-soaked tank top.

  “Oh, about three in the morning.” Carly fanned her T-shirt away from her chest.

  “That’s a long time to wait.” Jamie was vibrating with restless energy. She didn’t want the night to end. “Wanna go dancing?” She was afraid she’d pushed too hard when Carly tensed.

  “I’m not a good dancer,” Carly said, ducking her head.

  “You said you liked rock music. We can just listen.” When Carly hesitated she said, “I don’t know about you but I’m too wired to sleep.”

  “I guess it would be all right.”

  “I promise we’ll have fun.” Jamie reached into her pocket. She couldn’t read the damp piece of paper with the name of the bar on it. “Hey, all you local girls, where do we go to dance?”

  A chorus of voices answered.

  “Guess we’re going to Faces.” Jamie flagged down a cab and held the door open for Carly. Two other women piled in with them, and Jamie smiled the whole fifteen-minute drive with Carly practically on her lap.

  *

  Carly’s heart pounded as she gripped Jamie’s waistband and peeked around her back through the door, women behind her pushing to get in the bar. The music was deafening. She’d never been in a bar. It was dim, huge, and packed with women. The tiredness she’d felt before the concert was gone, replaced by an energy that made Carly feel hot and tingly all over. She couldn’t believe she was doing this.

  “You okay with this?” Jamie paid the cover charge for both of them.

  “Yes,” Carly said as a woman stamped her hand. Two more steps and she was hit by a sensory assault unlike anything she’d ever experienced. She gripped Jamie’s waist tighter as the crowd swallowed her and the smells of perfume and sweat and smoke engulfed her. Everywhere she looked women were dancing, touching each other in ways she’d never even seen between men and women. She felt the sexual tension in the air as clearly as the heat. If not for the romance novels she devoured, she wouldn’t have words for it.

  “Water,” Carly yelled over the noise when she realized Jamie was asking what she wanted to drink. Her mouth went dry as she stared at two women kissing, their hand
s drifting from hips to breasts as they caressed each other. Carly’s knees buckled a second before Jamie picked her up and lifted her onto a bar stool, settling an arm around her.

  “We don’t have to stay,” Jamie said into Carly’s ear.

  Carly was conscious of Jamie’s hot breath on her cheek. “I’m fine.” Her heart was racing and her skin tingled. She started to tuck a strand of hair behind Jamie’s ear, but Jamie was staring down the bar.

  A tall woman with dark hair and muscles to match Jamie’s wiggled her way around bodies and stepped in front of Jamie. Breaking into a grin, she wrapped her arms around Jamie’s neck and kissed her. Now Carly knew what her romance novels meant when they said the man assaulted the woman’s mouth. She felt a burning sensation in her abdomen. Oh, God. Wrapping her arms around her belly she took deep, slow breaths. Jamie and the brunette were still kissing and she looked away, embarrassed and…angry.

  “Trip over any tree roots lately?” the brunette asked Jamie.

  “Can’t say that I have, but I’ll keep the fond memory of the last time I did.”

  “I’m going to find a bathroom,” Carly said, sliding off her bar stool. Judging by the snippets of conversation, something was going on between them, and she didn’t want to know what it was. She hadn’t gone ten steps when Jamie took her hand.

  “I’ll go with you.” Jamie shoved her way through the crowd, keeping Carly behind her.

  “You don’t need to babysit me, Jamie. Go back to your friend.”

  Jamie turned around. “You’re my friend tonight, Carly.”

  Carly was pushed into Jamie as women jostled them on all sides. Seeing Jamie’s breasts had been a curiosity. Feeling them against her own took her breath away. She reached out to steady herself, and her hand landed on Jamie’s waist. Muscles tightened under her fingers. The music, the strobe lights, the press of bodies faded as Jamie’s eyes locked onto hers and her lips parted. She’d never seen that look on Mike’s face. It matched the description in her romance novels. Desire. Her nipples tightened inside her padded bra. Someone bumped Carly hard from the side, and Jamie clutched her around the waist to keep her from being knocked to the floor.

  Carly startled as if waking from a dream and stepped back, embarrassed. Had she wanted Jamie to kiss her? She was shaking as she waited in line for the bathroom, confused by her reaction. Maybe coming here wasn’t a good idea.

  “Do you want to leave?” Jamie asked when Carly came out of the bathroom.

  Carly looked around at all the women and shook her head. She’d meant to say, “yes, let’s go,” but her body felt alive in ways she’d never known. She should feel uncomfortable here but she didn’t. This wasn’t what she’d been taught about homosexuality.

  “Are you sure?” Jamie’s foot was tapping, and she kept glancing toward the dance floor.

  Suddenly it hit her. “Oh my gosh, Jamie, I’m…what’s the phrase…cramping your style? Why don’t I take a cab back to the hotel so you can…mingle?”

  Jamie held Carly’s waist and put her mouth to Carly’s ear. “I’m here with the cutest girl in the bar. Why would I want to mingle?”

  Carly’s heart pounded and blood rushed to her head. Was Jamie flirting with her? An instant later she knew exactly what she wanted. “Then why don’t you ask me to dance?” She gave her best Southern-belle smile. Her knees went weak when Jamie’s eyes darkened.

  Jamie pulled her close and moved them in a tight circle. Carly felt self-conscious, but not for the reason she should. She felt wonder at dancing with Jamie, but no shame. She felt guilty for an instant, but the rightness of what she was feeling made it impossible to walk away. She had to know if this was the answer to her doubts. She loved Mike, but did she love him the right way?

  Jamie’s hands cupped her butt, and she was pulled into a rhythm she didn’t know she had as rational thought left her. She rested her head on Jamie’s shoulder, hot, bare skin against her cheek. Cocooned in strong arms, her hand held between another woman’s breasts, she felt suspended outside herself, as if looking down on her body.

  In the next breath she was slammed back into a body that felt changed, burning with new desires, strong desires, to touch and be touched, new sensations of heat and pressure deep in her core. Desire. Tears stung her eyes as she realized how little time she had to live out this fairy tale. As soon as she boarded that plane back to the out-and-proud West Coast, her life would revert to its ordained course. “Take me back to the hotel.” When Jamie looked at her with uncertainty clouding her eyes, Carly said, “Please, I need to know what happens next.”

  *

  Jamie tossed some bills at the cabbie and hustled them through the hotel lobby and into the elevator. She wanted to pull Carly against her, to press her hand where she needed it most. Carly’s head was down, her cheeks flushed, her fingers fidgeting at the hem of her T-shirt. Protectiveness welled up in Jamie for the woman who’d been surprising her for the last eight hours. She took a deep breath, reorienting her priorities as the elevator door opened. This was about Carly.

  Jamie closed the door to their room. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  Carly’s eyes met Jamie’s, tentative but tinted with desire. She swallowed twice and then nodded.

  Jamie contained the need that was a tight ball in her groin as she undid Carly’s ponytail and sifted her fingers through silky golden-blond hair that fell across Carly’s shoulders. Carly’s eyes were full of questions.

  “I want to make love to you,” Jamie whispered, as she wrapped her arms around Carly’s waist. She kissed the side of Carly’s neck and sucked her earlobe.

  “Please.” Carly’s voice was low and she was breathing hard against Jamie’s chest, her hands gripping Jamie’s waist.

  “I’ll stop if you tell me to.” Jamie slid her hands under the T-shirt and stroked up and down Carly’s sides, just grazing her bra. “Don’t do anything you don’t want to do. I don’t ever want you to regret this.”

  “I’ll only regret it if I don’t do it. Please. I…don’t know how to ask for what I need.” Carly trembled as she wrapped her arms around Jamie’s neck.

  Jamie circled Carly’s lips with her tongue. “Let me inside.” Carly parted her lips and Jamie slid her tongue between them. The kiss was soft and full of promise. Carly whimpered, and her arms tightened around Jamie’s neck as she met Jamie’s tongue stroke for stroke.

  Jamie kissed her way to the pulse point in her throat and sucked on it. She pushed her center against Carly’s thigh. When Jamie rubbed her fingers across her nipple, Carly groaned. “I don’t know what to do,” Carly said as she laid her cheek against Jamie’s shoulder.

  Jamie pulled her hand from Carly’s breast and corralled the arousal that was making it hard to think. She’d wanted this all night, and her body was ready to back Carly up to the nearest bed, but her mind said to slow things down. “Do you like to take baths?”

  “One of my favorite things.” Carly’s accent was thicker and heavier. It was the sexiest thing Jamie had ever heard.

  “Mine, too.” Jamie took her hand and led her to the bathroom, letting the lamp on the nightstand cast the only light into the small space. She turned the tap on and took a bottle of bubble bath from the sink and poured it in. Gripping the hem of Carly’s T-shirt she asked, “Can I take it off?”

  Carly hesitated for just a second and then lifted her arms. Jamie kissed along her shoulder, following the edge of her bra. When Jamie captured her nipple through the cotton, Carly sucked in her breath and grabbed at Jamie’s T-shirt. “Take it off.”

  Stripping the T-shirt and tank top over her head, Jamie took Carly’s hand and placed it on her breast. Her head fell back as Carly tentatively explored her. She moaned when Carly squeezed her nipple. She had her pants and briefs off in seconds and stood naked, nipples erect, letting Carly’s eyes wander where they wanted before stepping close and helping her out of her clothes.

  Jamie stepped into the tub and sat at the end, her legs stretched in
front of her. Guiding Carly to lean back against her, she wrapped her arms around her and nuzzled her neck. “You’re so beautiful.” Carly stiffened.

  “Do you really think—”

  “God, yes. I want to touch you so much.” Jamie moved her hands over Carly’s belly and then up to cup her breasts, teasing and pinching the nipples until Carly groaned. She explored Carly’s body with soapy hands and then let Carly explore her. They were both breathing heavily, kissing with abandon, when Jamie realized the water had cooled.

  She stepped out and held up a towel for Carly, drying her before taking her hand and leading her to one of the beds. They lay on their sides, legs intertwined, kissing as they caressed each other’s breasts. Nipples hardened and their kisses became more urgent, their moans more frequent.

  “I want to make you come with my mouth.” Jamie left a wet trail down Carly’s neck as she licked her way to her breasts.

  “Is that what women do with each other?” Her voice was breathy.

  “It’s one thing. Tell me if I do something you don’t like.” Jamie waited until Carly nodded, then fastened her mouth around Carly’s breast and showed her what she wanted to do between her legs. When Carly squirmed beneath her, she traced circles slowly down Carly’s abdomen with her fingers and paused just below the triangle of soft hair.

  “Touch me. Please.” Carly’s fingers played erratically through Jamie’s hair.

  Jamie parted Carly’s folds and stroked her clit. She pulled away from Carly’s breast to watch her face, lips parted, those beautiful eyes half closed. Wetness coated Jamie’s fingers, and when she pressed against her opening, Carly arched up to meet her fingers.

  “Yes,” Carly rasped. “God, yes.” She moaned when Jamie slipped a finger into her and again when Jamie added a second finger. “Please, please, please,” she kept repeating in long, slow syllables. Jamie matched her pleas with slow, deep thrusts. Carly tightened around her fingers. When Jamie stroked her tongue over Carly’s clit she clasped the back of Jamie’s head.